Free Brown Gold in SF

We removed a nasty mattress vine from the backyard and tada, more garden space. But the soil underneath needed a lot of TLC, and compost. After checking out the local and big box stores, we quickly assessed that it was more money that we wanted to spend. We scoured the internet and uncovered this little nugget.

Frankly, it sounded sketchy, but worth a look. Turns out if you bring your own vehicle, and shovel it yourself…it is free. We picked up a $5 blue tarp so that we did not make a total mess in the back of the Subaru. Their mulch is more like large wood chips, and the compost is a finer version of wood chips. But it appears they do rotate and cure their compost before offering it to the public.

NOTE: After you turn off 3rd Street, you need to look hard at the signs because it looks like a waste land over there. After you turn off of 3rd Street, go about 1/2 mile and it will be on the right side of the road (north side of Carroll).

Extra bonus, they have this cool pile of scrap which I found a couple old wooden boards that I needed to complete a project. They did not seem to mind that I pulled them out and put into my car too.

Scrap piles are cool

After saving $50-100, and it is close to this place, we decided to hit up one of our favorite nurseries in town, Flora Grubb, to pick up some succulents for the new garden area. Flora Grubb really is a gardening destination. Grab a cup of coffee from their coffee shop and wander their grounds for immaculate plants and ideas for garden designs.